50/12-13 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
None.
Cllrs were reminded of their obligation to complete and return the Declaration of Pecuniary Interests Form to the Monitoring Officer at TDC if not already done so. An electronic copy of the form would be re-circulated to all Cllrs. Action SA

51/12-13 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
It was resolved to accept the Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 24th September 2012, which were signed by the Chairman as a true record.

52/12-13 CHAIRMANS REPORT
Cllr Way once again reported that the lack of Police presence in the local villages had been raised at various forums. Villagers are urged to report all incidents direct to the Police tel: 101 in order that they can be recorded appropriately.

53/12-13 WINTER GRITTING CONTRACT
It was proposed and agreed to renew the winter gritting contract with fgsagri as per the conditions set out in the previous year. Cllrs Way and Constable would remain as contacts.

54/12-13 FINANCIAL MATTERS
a) Members resolved to approve the Schedule of Payments. Cheques signed as appropriate.
b) It was proposed not to continue with the Christmas Lights Competition for this year as it was felt there was a lack of interest throughout the village and only a small majority of houses took part. It was agreed for this decision to be reviewed next year.
c)It was agreed to make a donation of £100 towards the village Christmas tree, cheque signed.

– Cllr Way advised that the Church was in need of new ropes for the bells at St Mary Magdalene. Although it was felt a worthy cause, it was suggested that an article was placed in the newsletter encouraging villagers to make a donation towards raising the funds needed to replace the ropes. It was agreed that the Parish Council would make a contribution thereafter. The Clerk would contact Rev Gausden to confirm he is in support of this suggestion . Action SA

d) Having been advised that the maintenance of the memorial garden plot at Monkton Church was the responsibility of the Parish Council, it was discussed and agreed to set a budget of £50.00 to assist with its upkeep, to be reviewed annually. A number of villagers have volunteered to maintain the plot, Cllr Brown would be responsible for its organisation. Action GB

? PCSO Craig Reisbeck was then introduced. He advised on the current position of policing in the Village and highlighted the constraints imposed by the existing budget reductions. To date the only crimes reported from the Monkton area were road traffic incidents. PCSO Reisbeck confirmed that there is a lack of a visible Police presence because resources are located on a call volume basis, and as Monkton had a relatively low crime rate, the area was not a priority to Police. He emphasised the importance of reporting non-emergency crimes by calling 101. It was suggested that he made contact with the School and offered advice to the children regarding road awareness.

55/12-13 PLANNING
a) 7 Parsonage Fields – F/TH/12/0636
The planning application was duly noted with no objections made.
b) 198 Monkton St – APP/Z2260/A/12/2183181/NWF
Land Rear of Brooksend Service Stn – APP/Z2260/A/12/2183116/NWF
The appeals against the decision to refuse planning were acknowledged and objections have been forwarded to the Planning Inspectorate. No response had been received to date.

– Cllr Way advised that the light pollution caused by the Thanet Earth development was being monitored.

– The Clerk confirmed that the Planning Department had been informed of the quadbike users exceeding the number of times they had been permitted to use the farm land, thus breaching the regulations originally granted. No response had been received, the Clerk would therefore report the issue again. Action SA

56/12-13 RECREATIONAL GROUND
a) The safety surfacing in the play area is due to be installed once the grant funding had been received. Repairs to the remainder of the equipment were in progress, with Robert Jakeman being appointed to repair the motorbike and replace the wooden steps to the multi-gym, both within the original budget specified.
A quote had been received to repair the damage to the fencing around the car park, however, it was agreed to defer the repairs to a later date.
b) The works to the fir trees at the rear of the Sports Pavilion were currently in progress, and had received a positive response from nearby residents.
c) The installation of CCTV cameras was revisited. It was agreed in view of the current financial expenditure at the Recreation Ground, to defer making a decision on the installation until January.
d) A quote had been received to supply and fit a metal gate at the entrance of the concrete road leading to the car park of the Recreation Ground at a cost of approx £635 + VAT. However, after discussion, it was agreed that the ‘mesh’ across the gate was unnecessary and should therefore be deducted from the quote. Cllr Way had made enquiries with Mr Dyas and Mrs Tyrell who both confirmed they had no objection to the gate being erected. It was agreed that signage would need to be clear and volunteers needed to open/close the gate on a daily basis. Cllr Cole had raised his objections by email, to the cost of the gate, although he was in agreement to the overall proposal of installing a barrier. His comments were noted, however, it was felt that a gate was a more secure and robust option. Cllrs present at the meeting therefore supported the decision to fit a gate. Cllr Way would contact Robert Jakeman to proceed with the installation. Action JW
e) The Clerk confirmed that Thanet District Council had advised they were going to nominate the Recreation Ground and progress with the FIT application in the next couple of weeks. The deed would be completed for TDC as the current landowners, then transferred to Monkton Parish Council upon purchase of the grounds. Negotiations were ongoing with regard to the purchase of the Recreation Ground.

57/12-13 HIGHWAYS
a) The inaccurate information on the new fingerpost had been corrected. It was suggested to re-site the original fingerpost on the opposite side of Seamark Close.
b) The damaged signs at Willets Hill and Parsonage Fields remained outstanding however, Cllr Constable had been advised by the Highways Dept that the work should be completed by the end of this week.

– Cllr Way confirmed he had reported the damage caused by the road sweeper along Seamark Close to the Highways Dept. Cllr Constable agreed to follow this up. Action GC

58/12-13 INDIVIDUAL COMMITTEE REPORTS
a) Village Hall Committee: Cllr Davies reported that unfortunately the children’s table tennis club had temporarily been cancelled. It is hoped this will recommence as soon as practicable. The donation towards a Christmas Tree would be welcomed and Terry Marsh would make the necessary arrangements to place and decorate it.
b) TRRG: Cllr Way reported that there was concern over KCC’s decision to close Richborough Tip.
c) TAC: The lack of a visible Police presence remained an issue and would be raised with the Police Commissioner once appointed.
d) Parish Council Forum: The Planning Manager, Simon Thomas, confirmed there were no immediate changes to the planning regulations, contrary to reports in the media.

– Cllr Brown advised that in line with the Localism Act and Neighbourhood Planning, Minster Parish Council are in the process of producing a ‘Local Plan’ which may also include Monkton. The change in legislation gives Parish Councils more of an opportunity to specify planning provisions within their locality and identify areas of land to be preserved. Cllr Brown would be liaising with Minster Parish Council regarding Monkton’s involvement with the Plan.

59/12-13 KIACC
Cllr Constable reported there was to be a public meeting held on 30th November for any questions/queries regarding the Airport could be raised.

60/12-13 CLERKS REPORT
The Clerks report had been circulated and read prior to the meeting.
There was nothing further to report, however Cllr Constable would make enquiries with MYFC to see if they have progressed with the grant application towards CCTV. Action GC

61/12-13 DATE/TIME OF FUTURE MEETINGS
The next meeting would be held on 7th January 2013 at 6:30pm in the Village Hall.

Future dates would be arranged at this meeting, therefore Cllrs are reminded to bring their diaries.

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Wednesday Social Mornings for retired & semi-retired villagers of Monkton. Come along for a morning of conversation, companionship, games and interest. Tea and Cake available. You, your contributions and ideas are all welcome. For more[...]

Wednesday Social Mornings for retired & semi-retired villagers of Monkton. Come along for a morning of conversation, companionship, games and interest. Tea and Cake available. You, your contributions and ideas are all welcome. For more[...]

Wednesday Social Mornings for retired & semi-retired villagers of Monkton. Come along for a morning of conversation, companionship, games and interest. Tea and Cake available. You, your contributions and ideas are all welcome. For more[...]